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New year, new life. Make 2014 your best year yet. If you want to live a quality, productive life, try implementing these four things into your daily routine.

Love people in general. I don’t necessarily mean finding a partner or romance. But it’s important to take the time to get to know as many people as you can, reach out, and love them. Take a different approach than what you’re used to when you typically meet people. Be kind, engaging, share compliments, care. Be the one to brighten someone’s day, make someone else smile. You will make others feel good about themselves, and you’ll be surprised how good you will feel in return.Laughter is important to your mental and physical well-being. If I need a good laugh, I’ll manufacture stories about people I know taking a trip to the moon. You may think it’s silly, but if I need a pick me up, I will FIND a way to get a chuckle out of myself. Surround yourself with people who love to laugh with you (not at you). I am most comfortable with people who can laugh at themselves and laugh with others in a kind and loving way. There are times to be serious, no doubt. But some can’t find the funny in anything. Remember that laughter is a clear sign of the enjoyment of life and your surroundings. We are attracted to those people; the laughing, fun-loving people. And if we mirror that, others are attracted to us. You, as an individual, have the ability to walk into a room full of people, captivate them, and leave them happy and having fun.
You know that really deep belly laugh; the one that comes with tears in your eyes and a bellyache? That laugh alone leaves you in euphoria. There is a chemical that is released in your body that produces that feeling. You won’t feel sad after that laugh. Minutes, hours, even days could pass by, and you still feel good. There have been times that laughter has made me forget about my cold, my headache, my bad mood, and more. It is no coincidence that laughter cures diseases. It truly is the best medicine.
Pay attention to the love and laughter you are cultivating and the people you will attract with it. It is definitely contagious. All of the pieces have to work together. Even if someone throws a stab at you, if you live out of love and you love that person, then you won’t be seeing that joke as an insult. Keep the negativity out.Nutrition often comes to light during the beginning of a new year. People make their resolutions to lose weight and reach a personal goal. Eventually, old habits resurface. As far as nutrition is concerned, ask yourself, “Is this good for me? Is it good for my body?” Take a good look at the food in front of you and make the decision to stay on track. Clearly, your nutrition is a factor in your health. Bad nutrition can lead to a multitude of diseases. And diseases don’t typically surface over night. Repetition in terms of bad nutrition will build up to disease over time. The lifestyle that you lead for years and years will eventually catch up with your body. There is no better time than now to change it.
I met a great doctor, Dr. Fuhrman, who preaches eating organic foods, fruits, vegetables, etc. I apply these ideals to my daily life and throw these foods into a Vitamix to feed my body the proper nutrients. There are thousands of cases where people have adopted these ideals and reversed diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.
Of course, you want to look good and proper nutrition will be the jumpstart you need.Exercise is the last step to bring all of these ideals together into one central, balanced lifestyle. Exercise complements the other three steps, and the puzzle would be incomplete without it. It is the icing on the cake. You don’t need to push yourself to the point of exhaustion. You will find the exercise regiment that is right for you, whether it be walking, biking, weight lifting, swimming, etc.
A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A sedentary body will stay sedentary. You have to do something, anything, to achieve your goals. And do it at your own pace. You will look better, and ultimately feel better.
Keep a list of goals and track your progress. You will be amazed what you can accomplish in a short amount of time, but you can’t accomplish your goals without action.
Go for it! It’s a beautiful thing!

It is imperative to make clear the difference between the feeling of loneliness and being alone. Being alone is a physical phenomenon. You are able to physically be alone, and be happy. Loneliness however, is an emotion that relates to your social fulfillment. You could be one in a crowd of 1,000 people, but not one of those 1,000 people can relieve that loneliness. This time of the year, masses will experience this loneliness, and it could be caused by the loss of a loved one, separation, a broken heart, etc., but the important concept to understand is that loneliness comes from within.

If you expect to relieve that lonely feeling simply by surrounding yourself with people, you can count on it for short-term satisfaction. I tell myself constantly, if I find myself in a negative mood and feeling lonely, negative circumstances are sure to follow. If I remain strong, it will not matter what goes on around me.

If someone you cherish is not around anymore, dedicate five minutes of your thoughts to them, and if there is nothing you can do about it, you must be able to push forward and reprogram life. Your mind functions just like your body. It needs nourishment from positive, motivational knowledge which may be gained from books, videos or seeking warm, enriching conversation with a likeminded person. To cope with both loneliness AND being alone, find your happiness within, with an overdose of positive thinking.

If you nourish the mind, body and soul will follow. Ask yourself this question: “What am I thinking about?” Once you have the answer, you have the ability to change it. Change your thoughts and program your mind to think about the things you would like to accomplish and the happiness you ultimately want to achieve in life. Your mind is what creates the feeling of loneliness. Kick the negative thoughts out.

“The material things” deserve an honorable mention in this piece. There was a time that I lived on a beautiful, 50-foot boat, which came hand-in-hand with the taste of loneliness on quite a few occasions. But the amazing thing is that I’ve also floated around aimlessly in a canoe with the biggest grin on my face, the happiest guy in the world.

Sure, material things are nice, but they will never provide you with the happiness and fulfillment that you seek. Flowers, candy, jewelry (enough to keep Steven Singer in business for life), etc. fly off the shelves so you can show your appreciation to loved ones each and every Valentine’s Day. In my experience, I’ve learned that women appreciate the kindness and thoughtfulness.

Remember this: if these gestures are made out of love and admiration, I commend you. If you buy your partner gifts out of obligation, your partner may end up resenting your gesture. At this point, it becomes a phony situation, and you are better off not buying anything at all. If your partner is handing out that rose, piece of candy, or bracelet just for the sake of giving it, look the person in the eye, and you will know exactly where they stand. The eyes never lie.

It is crucial to keep your relationship healthy and alive. Take note of two things: allow your partner to be their own individual, and realize you are on a two-way highway. The secret is that we all have faults and defects. It is easy to dwell on the faults, but try to program your mind to focus on the good things. I am also a firm believer that friendship is a foundation and a staple in all relationships. You are going to come across issues and bumps in the road. If you have established a friendship and you both have recognized that the greatest substance in a healthy relationship is communication, things tend to work themselves out. If you have good communication, it goes a long way. If you don’t, you will eventually start moving in different directions.

Have fun, laugh, and life will reward you with beautiful experiences.

You don’t always get what you want, but you always get what you attract. What you are attracting is what you are thinking.

With love this Valentine’s Day,

Bernie Parent

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I am making myself available for readers to submit their questions pertaining to sports/life/current events/relationships/etc. to Bernie@legendssportsmarketing.com. Submit your questions and I may randomly choose yours to be the subject of my next article!